A hand-held device of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,840, corresponding to EP 0 719 723 B1. In this previously known hand-held device, a longish application member is supported to be pivotable around its longitudinal axis and is centered in the middle by spring forces with respect to pivotable movements opposing each other. Thereby, the application member can adapt to the substrate by means of rotation in case that the application member is placed on the substrate in an oblique fashion. In the absence of pressure, the application member turns automatically into its rotational central position due to the present restoring elastic force. In addition, the application member comprises in its longitudinal portion extending outside the housing of the hand-held device guiding webs protruding upwards and downwards at both sides, between which a backing tape carrying the film is guided. In front of the guiding webs, the application member has a cross-sectional reduction on both sides in the form of lateral recesses. The purpose of said cross-sectional reduction is not described.
Another hand-held with a movable application member can also be derived from U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,076, corresponding to DE 3 638 722 A. The longish application member of this patent comprises a cross-sectional reduction in the form of the body of a wasp in addition to its elastically yielding arrangement. Thereby, the front portion of the application member is elastically bendable in a transverse direction and suspended in a pendulous fashion.
What can be derived from U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,074, corresponding to EP 0 313 719 B1, is a hand-held device whose application member is movable upwards from a lower starting position against an elastic spring force against a stop at the housing. Thereby, the application member is resilient to the top by the pressure effective in this case when the application member is placed onto the substrate, and it is spring-mounted against sudden overload.